Business Meeting Motions – RID National Conference 2015

Business Meeting Motions – RID National Conference 2015

Letter

Motion

Comments

A

Move that the official language of Regional and national RID conferences be American Sign Language (ASL), and be it further moved that ASL interpretation will be provided at regional and national RID conferences for workshops/presentations which focus on spoken languages, and be it further resolved that ASL as the official language begins with the 2016 regional RID conferences.

Board:

The Board obviously supports this. It is worth noting that this motion came to the Board as a recommendation from the Council of Elders, and was supported by the Deaf Advisory Council.

Headquarters:

HQ will respectfully support the decision of the Board and Membership regarding language use at convention. However, given the composition
of the HQ staff and the need for inclusion and access, we encourage the use of the common language of the interpreter and Deaf Communities–ASL–to the fullest extent possible. The financial impact of the implementation of Motion A would be a substantial cost-savings to conference planning budgets for English to ASL Interpreting Services as there would not longer be the need for extensive interpreting services during the programs of the regional and national conferences if the official and recognized language was ASL.

C

Members of all standing committees shall be appointed in advance of the biennial convention, and notified of their appointment 45 days in advance of the biennial convention. The term of new committee members shall begin on the last day of the biennial convention.

(Motion submitted by the Professional Development Committee.)

Board:
The Board has established a best practices timeline that addresses appointments in advance of conference and will be incorporating it for the 2015-2017 term. The timeline would shift appointment periods to not begin/end with conference as there are many competing demands at that time. The proposed term for councils and committees would be January-December, a 2 year period, with appointment occurring no later than November 1st and ensuring transition between outgoing members and incoming members. The Board can be more effective in committee appointments with the new timeline.

Headquarters:

This would require a modest shift in timeline for when recruitment and organizing of applications for volunteer leadership occurs. Administrative support required considered minimal.

H

In order to encourage interpreters’ ongoing development, RID should accept the concept of “Rollover CEUs.”

Board:

The Board does not support this motion. The CMP was established by a unanimous vote of members, to ensure that interpreters had ongoing, timely training. The options to earn CEUs are more extensive than they have ever been. The Board continues to recognize the need for training, and a once-in-a-lifetime exemption is available for those unable to complete CEU requirements because of extenuating life events.

Headquarters:

Tracking this will require that HQ add a new database functionality. The cost would be modest when considered across all certified members. Estimated to be no more than $5,000, plus staff time.

Professional Development Committee Response:

The PDC opposes the motion as written.

The PDC understands the intent of the motion and shares the desire to promote continuing education. Further the PDC greatly appreciates the desire to capture and recognize RID members’ educational efforts that go over and above the minimum requirements. RID members should be recognized for their good work whenever possible. The Committee would be open to considering a special recognition for members who exceed the minimum.

However, the PDC stands opposed to the proposed motion as written. It reflects it assumes inaccurate information, in face between 2010 and 2013 at least 50% of members who have completed their cycles earned between 9.0-100.0 CEUs. The perception that RID interpreters do not feel encouraged to do more is not borne out in the data.

In addition, the proposed change might actually undermine and weaken the current Certification Maintenance Program (CMP) and potentially weaken the legal defensibility of RID credentials. Further, the PDC disagrees with the FISCAL IMPACT statement. This proposed change could be a significant financial impact on RID and RID Sponsors. Revenues would not be generated for years in which members were not seeking additional CEUs. The proposed change could require the database to be reconfigured to appropriately flag individuals whose CEUs rollover and take them out of the rotation during the rollover cycle period. This change could also impact compliance RID is managing with states which have instituted licensure.

The CMP was designed following industry standards promulgated by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET). The purpose of the CMP has defined cycles in order to demonstrate all RID Certified Members keep current in field and science of interpreting. Creating the ability to carry-over CEUs could allow a member to pursue a bulk of education in a single year and then do nothing more for potentially eight years (if an extension is used). This increases the risk that a member would be working with old knowledge and understanding of the field.

While the PDC is not in favor of this motion, industry standards do allow for certification credentials to be maintained through the process of re-testing in addition or replacement of continuing education. The PDC might support a similar motion that would instead add the option of a retesting every cycle in order to demonstrate currency in knowledge and skills.

I

We move that 1.0 of the required 8.0 CEUs in a member’s certification cycle specifically be related to training in the content area of power and privilege.

Board:

The Board supports the spirit of the motion. Request that this motion be referred to the Professional Development Committee for consideration as the Certification Maintenance Committee is in the midst of a thorough review and revision.

Headquarters:

Tracking this will require that HQ add a new database functionality. The cost would be modest when considered across all certified members. Estimated to be no more than $5,000, plus staff time.

Professional Development Committee Response:

The PDC supports the first part of this motion – the desire for all RID members to be competent in topics of power, privilege and oppression. The second half of the motion is moot as topics of power, privilege and oppression are already elements of Linguistic and Cultural studies. The PDC would not recommend studies of power, privilege and oppression outside of Professional Studies.

The PDC request further clarification by the authors. The intent seems to be very open ended leaving members to choose whatever course they like that they believe fits the topic of power, privilege and oppression. From experience, the PDC request that for mandated areas of study the requirement be more directive. This will spare the network of Sponsors and the PDC from deciding what courses are acceptable and which are not.

Typically elements of power, privilege and oppression to greater or lesser extent are included in the larger Professional Studies topics of language and culture. The PDC assumes that the authors are seeking a greater level of study that is presented in general. If this is indeed the case, the PDC is requesting greater directive from the membership. What areas of power, privilege and oppression need to be studied? Could it be any course in race or religion or gender or disability or etc. Or, do the authors seeks specific studies. If the latter – the PDC recommends this course be developed by RID, approved by the membership and then mandated for all certified members each cycle. This approach would be the only way to ensure a base set of understanding on these topics is achieved.

The motion as written is still ambiguous on how it is to be carried out. The PDC respectfully requests greater direction of author’s intent and not leave it to the PDC or RID Approved Sponsors to interpret what is acceptable study in power, privilege and oppression beyond what has always been part of the CMP.

J

We move that the RID Board of Directors establish an ad hoc committee of certified members and community stakeholders, and charge this committee with identifying all steps, procedures, and timelines for implementing a requirement of twenty pro bono hours for certified members in each four year CMP cycle; and

Be it further moved that this committee shall be comprised of no less than 50% deaf members; and

Be it further moved that this committee must be constituted no later than October 1, 2015; and

Be it further moved that this committee make quarterly reports to the membership with its final report submitted and made available to the membership no later than April 1, 2017.

Board:

This motion has already been referred to the Professional Development Committee for consideration, as the Certification Maintenance Committee is in the midst of a thorough review and revision.

Headquarters:

If the implementation of this is managed through CEU sponsors so that approval, monitoring and uploading to transcripts occurs with sponsors, then there is limited impact for HQ. However, if HQ is to manage this, it would require a significant commitment of staff time to determine monitoring functions and to adjust database to provide the additional functionality. Estimated cost to be between $5,000-10,000, plus potentially significant staff time that is currently not available.

Professional Development Committee Response:

The PDC is on record as supporting the spirit of the 2013 motion and believe it is important to promote our members giving back to the community through volunteer services. However, the logistics and complexities of capturing members good work through Pro-Bono services and tying that to the Certification Maintenance Program is a point of concern for the committee.

The PDC opposes documenting pro-bono services as part of the current continuing education system provided through the Certification Maintenance Program (CMP).

The PDC might support this or another motion proposing Pro-Bono documentation through a separate system created as wholly separate database from the CEU documentation system and which is not managed by the PDC.

The PDC also believes we have no hard data on the current state of volunteerism by members. Informal surveys suggest a high percentage regularly provide volunteer services through community and religious connections. It may be an important first step to survey the membership on their current volunteerism habits and where services are often directed.

The CMP was designed following industry standards set forward by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training (IACET) and seeks to earn IACET accreditation. Including a Pro-Bono tracking system as part of the current CMP system could jeopardize RID’s future plans for accreditation of its Certification Maintenance Program through IACET. In addition, when the CMP/ACET programs were launched they managed documentation for 3,000 – 4,000 RID members. The current system is documenting nearly four times that number. The CMP/ACET system is becoming increasingly automated but still experiences difficulty managing all that is part of the current system (further identified in the PDC report to the membership) adding another documentation responsibility at this time could greatly overburden the system..

OTC Motion

B

Move that the RID cease to offer the Oral Transliteration Certificate and corresponding ​exams after January 1st, 2016. Members in good standing who received any RID Oral Certification prior to January 1st, 2016 may continue to maintain their certificate with all the rights and responsibilities afforded therein.

(Motion submitted by the Certification Committee.)

Motion withdrawn. CC submits the statement as a recommendation to the board.

RATF Motions

The following motions were originally proposed by the Reputable Agency Task Force as part of their report.

However, they were withdrawn:

Based on Board action, the RATF withdraws their motions submitted for conference. The RID Board voted to establish a TF to continue the work submitted by the RATF. President Whitcher is working with the RATF co-chairs to develop a scope of work for Board consideration. The Board is working with headquarters to address the motion in regards to the appropriate use of RID’s online database. Nancy Berlove and Stephanie Feyne, Co-chairs RATF

D

NAD and RID establish a standing joint committee to serve as a resource for the wider community on interpreting referral service issues of local, state and federal concern. This committee should consist of no fewer than two representatives appointed by NAD and no fewer than two representatives appointed by RID. The committee members from RID shall be appointed no later than December 30, 2015.

E

RID and NAD jointly establish a task force to codify and promulgate standards for business practices of interpreting referral businesses. Members of this task force are to be determined by NAD and RID. This task force would be constituted no later than Dec 30, 2015 and report back no later than the 2017 RID business meeting.

F

RID create a committee charged with establishing a new RID membership category for Interpreting Referral Businesses. This membership category would preclude such businesses from “organizational” membership in RID. This motion also directs RID to create a Code of Professional Conduct for this new membership category, and a mechanism for complaints of unethical business practices to be mediated through RID, such as an Ethical Practice System for member agencies. This motion directs the RID to begin constitute this committee no later than December 15, 2015 and offer the new membership category for a vote of the membership no later than the 2017 Business Meeting.

The minimum composition of this new committee would be at least one representative from the By-Laws Committee, the EPS, the CPC, ISM, Elders Council, and any other national committee deemed applicable.

We suggest these issues be addressed in the establishment of the new membership category:

a. Create criteria to become a referral agency member of RID.

b. Establishment of a clear process for becoming an interpreting referral agency member of RID, possibly including application, credentials, recommendations from consumers, etc.

c. Creation of a document that clearly defines the “Rights and Responsibilities” of member agencies (in keeping with the SPP for Agencies)

d. Collaboration with EPS committee – see below.

e. Establishment of a clear process for granting permission for members

to use the RID logo on their stationery and websites

We recommend that a Code of Professional Conduct or a Code of Ethics that aligns with the “Rights and Responsibilities” of Member Agencies should be created. The critical component of this recommendation is an Ethical Practice System for member agencies. We recommend posting the guidelines on how to use this EPS on the RID website, so that consumers and interpreters are aware of options in dealing with unethical agency practices.

G

RID review the use of the public online “Find a member” searchable database (found online at https://myaccount.rid.org/Public/Search/Member.aspx) with the goal of ensuring ethical and appropriate referral of interpreters.